Attacker with meat cleaver yells: Jews run or I’ll kill you
BRANDISHING a meat cleaver, a knifeman prepares to storm a kosher food shop before allegedly screaming: ‘You Jews run away from here before I kill you.’
He caused panic after he burst in clutching the cleaver and a large knife yesterday afternoon.
Armed police were called to the scene following reports that he was threatening Jewish residents.
Witnesses said the knifeman flew into a rage and tried to get into one shop in Hackney, north east London, but staff managed to lock the door.
Seconds later he was seen clutching the weapons as he entered a second kosher store, shouting: ‘Where is the boss, I will kill him!’
When told the owner was not there, he ran screaming towards two girls, aged eight and 14, according to reports on social media.
He is said to have shouted: ‘You Jews run away from here before I kill you.’ Bystanders
‘Extremely frightening’
captured the incident, which happened at about 4pm, on mobile phone cameras.
Volunteers from Stamford Hill Shomrim, the Jewish neighbourhood watch patrol, cordoned off the area until firearms officers arrived.
The knifeman was found at a nearby block of flats.
A Shomrim spokesman said: ‘Shomrim contained the area where the suspect had fled, and liaised with local and armed police.’
Last night, a 61-year-old man was being quizzed on suspicion of affray and possession of an offensive weapon.
Scotland Yard said the incident was not terror-related and the suspect would be given a mental health assessment. There were no injuries. Gideon Falter, chairman of the Campaign Against Antisemitism, said the Jewish community felt intimidated by the attack.
He added: ‘This is an extremely frightening incident and it is very fortunate that there are no injuries reported.
‘We commend Stamford Hill Shomrim and the Metropolitan Police Service for their bravery in rushing to the scene to protect the public.’ The incident comes as police are under increasing pressure to tackle soaring knife crime.
Earlier this month Scotland Yard released worrying figures showing knife offences in London are up 24 per cent in a year – 12,074, compared with 9,742 in 2015/16.
There has also been a worrying spate of stabbings in the capital, where youths as young as 15 have been seen wielding machetes on mopeds.